Marietta, Georgia
June 4–July 3, 1864

Following intense fighting in Paulding County at the end of May 1864, action during the Atlanta Campaign shifted eastward into neighboring Cobb County. Beginning on June 4, Confederate forces occupied a long line of entrenchments from Lost Mountain to Brushy Mountain near Marietta. Union forces under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman probed the center of the line several times, and skirmishing and cavalry action were nearly constant on the flanks.

Federal forces drove the Confederates from Lost Mountain back to Mud Creek and continued to threaten to outflank the southern end of the Confederate line. Over the night of June 18­19, Confederate commander Gen. Joseph E. Johnston withdrew his troops eastward to the Kennesaw Mountain Line.

Threat: Many of the earthworks occupied by Johnston's Confederate forces toward the end of his Marietta operations are protected as part of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield. However, huge sections of trenches and fortifications remain unprotected throughout Cobb County. The growth of suburban Atlanta has all but destroyed the possibility for preservation opportunities in the eastern half of the county, and time is running out for the extant properties in the west.

In the last year, preservationists have had some limited success protecting remnants of the Confederate and Federal lines near Dallas Highway and Brushy Mountain. Unfortunately, in some instances earthworks have been intentionally bulldozed to avoid complications that could scare away potential developers. The fate of several areas containing portions of the remaining trench line rest with the county government, as rezoning applications are considered. Development in the region shows no signs of slowing, with some land in the area selling for as much as $500,000 per acre.

Priority: CWSAC classified Marietta as a Priority IV, Class B site.

Please note that no attempt is made to rank the sites within History Under Siege— instead, the battlefields are listed in alphabetical order.